Hack Meant a Clumsy Cut Long Before It Meant Computers
To hack is to cut roughly. The word now covers programming, taxis, journalism and life advice.
To hack is to cut roughly with heavy blows. The computing sense began at MIT in the 1950s, where a *hack* meant a clever and unorthodox solution — praise, not accusation. The criminal sense came later and the two meanings have coexisted uneasily ever since, which is why programmers distinguish hackers from crackers. A separate *hack* is a hired horse, from Hackney in London, giving both *hackney carriage* and the *hack* who writes to order.
- To cut roughly. *Hacked through the brush.*
- A clever solution. *A neat hack.*
- To break into a system. *The account was hacked.*
- A hired writer. *A hack journalist.*
- Old English — *haccian*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | hack | Hacking. |
| Noun | hack | A hack. |
| Agent | hacker | A hacker. |
| Compound | life hack | A life hack. |
| Old English | haccian | To cut. |
- He hacked at the branches.Cutting.
- That is an elegant hack.Computing.
- A hackney carriage.Transport.
Where the computing sense came from
- MIT in the 1950s used hack for an ingenious prank or solution
- It was a compliment, implying skill and creativity
- Journalists later applied it to computer intrusion
- Programmers coined cracker for the criminal sense
- Life hack returned the word to its original approving meaning
Old English *haccian*, to cut into pieces, of Germanic origin. The hired horse sense is from Hackney in London.
Did hacker always mean a criminal?
No. At MIT in the 1950s a hack was a clever and unorthodox solution, and hacker was a compliment. The criminal sense came later.
Why is a hired writer called a hack?
From the hackney, a horse hired out for ordinary work. A hack writer works to order rather than by inspiration.